The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel
by CherryBlackthourne
Summary: My first Ranma fic! Please read and review... A mysterious young woman comes to Nermia one stormy night... and she works for WHO? RA later, love triangles, but not the usual ones you're thinking of! Character insertion. CHAPTER 7 NOW COMPLETE!
1. It Begins

Disclaimer: I do not claim Ranma ½ or any of its characters as my own. They belong to Takahashi-sama. However, the character Sabriel is MINE, ALL MINE!! MUHAHAHAHAHAHA!! *Ahem* Enjoy! ^_^;;

A/N: _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting, **bold** for emphasis in speech.

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter One

It was a beautiful morning in Nermia, Tokyo, Japan. Birds were singing, _cha_, or green tea, was brewing, and a gentle breeze whispered its way through the city. The citizens of Nermia were waking up and getting ready for their day. Unfortunately, so were the occupants of the Tendo Dojo.

"_RANMA NO BAKA!!__OMAE O KOROSU!!"___

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!! NO, AKANE!! NOOOOOOO!!"

Akane and Ranma-chan suddenly burst out of the house and into the backyard, where they started to race around and around a small koi pond. Somehow, Akane had discovered a way to pull out not only large mallets out of hammerspace, but small hammer-sized ones as well, and was now doing so rapidly, using them like throwing knives and aiming them directly at Ranma-chan, who, unfortunately, was clad in only a towel.

"Damn it, Akane! It was only the last bit of conditioner! You can get **more**!" yells Ranma-chan as she dodges, dives, and jumps out of the path of the flying hammers while trying to stay modestly covered at the same time, and only once getting hit on the ankle, and then yowling in pain.

"So what?!" Akane started to throw her hammers with even more gusto now. "That was my favorite type **and brand of conditioner! AND YOU PURPOSELY USED THE LAST OF IT!!"**

Genma and Soun were sitting on the wooden walkway while sipping _cha_ and watching Ranma-chan and Akane fight. Genma smiled.

"Ah. Soun, my friend, look. Our children. They are fighting like the married couple they soon will be."

Soun, once again, begins to weep dramatically. 

"Ah, this is **wonderful!! Now I can rest, knowing that our children will marry and the Tendo Dojo will go on! The Tendo and Saotome legacy shall continue forevermore!!" he cried as he started to sob into his arm.**

Genma looks at his friend and raises an eyebrow.

"Soun-san, forgive me for asking, but…"

"But what, friend?"

Genma sighed as he hesitantly went on with his query.

"Must you always be so dramatic? I am sorry, but now it is starting to get old."

As suddenly as they had started, Soun's flowing and rather waterfall-like tears stopped, as if he had mentally turned off a switch in his mind. Soun then turned and smiled serenely at Genma.

"Why, Genma-san. I thought you knew."

Genma's eyebrows disappeared into his hairline as he eyed Soun with caution.

"Knew…what?"

"That it is all only for show. Also, for my daughters, of course. It is important they know that emotions are a good thing to show."

Genma took a sip of _cha_ and sighed. A huge sweatdrop formed on the left corner of his forehead. He closed his eyes, sipped his _cha_ again_, _andshook his head.

"As you say, Soun-san. As you say…"

Akane's now very shrill voice is now heard from the background.

"And another thing! You **know** that I have homework **and** house work!! And you suggest that I just GO OUT AND GET SOME MORE?!" 

"Well, why the hell not?! Besides, if you have all that other time to visit your **darling** Dr. Tofu, then just why can't you go get some conditioner while you're at it?!"

Akane's eyes narrowed. She throws a hammer extra hard at Ranma-chan's head, but only ends up missing her completely.

"You… you… you leave Dr. Tofu out of this! He has absolutely NOTHING to do with this!"

Ranma-chan smirks as she dodges Akane's hammer and lands on the fence.

"Oooh… I guess I hit a nerve there, eh? I don't know why you're so mad about all this. You're a _kawaiikune tomboy, and you're gonna stay that way. That conditioner isn't gonna help you any."_

Both Soun and Genma cringe.

"Ooooooh… **That** was the wrong thing to say… "

Soun nods. "Yes, especially to **my** daughter."

Akane's eyes have now narrowed down to slits. She growls and whips out her gigantic trademark mallet. A vein on her temple begins to throb.

"Ranma…!!" she snarls through clenched teeth. Ranma-chan's face quickly loses all color.

"Uh oh…" she says in a tiny voice.

"You're damn right 'Uh oh,' Ranma." Akane's voice was dangerously low. Quickly Ranma-chan vainly tries to calm Akane down, but to no avail.

"Now, Akane, really. Please calm down. I mean, you know I didn't really mean-"

"SHUT UP!!!"

Akane swung with all her might and sent poor Ranma-chan flying with only a towel for clothing. And, as luck would have it, she landed in the back courtyard of the Kuno Estate. It was also the time that Tatewaki Kunou, the self proclaimed "Blue Thunder of Furinkan High" chose to look out his bedroom window.

Ranma-chan landed on the bottom branch of a tree. And, since Akane had hit her with such force, that branch broke and Ranma-chan landed in the bushes below with a loud THUMP!

"Ow…" said Ranma-chan after a while. "It's a good thing I was holding onto my towel. Otherwise I would be in very** big** trouble." 

*~*~*

After hearing Ranma-chan's crash, Tatewaki quickly rushes to his window to see what it was.

"What's this?" he muses. "Is it a meteor, flaming like my heart is with love and desire? Or a heavenly angel, sent by the very gods to help me decide which would I choose for my love?"

He looks closer on the area that Ranma-chan crashed in and almost cried out in his delight. "No! 'Tis much greater than either! It is my beloved pig-tailed goddess!!"

He rushes to his closet and hurriedly dresses into his kendo robe, complete with wooden _bokken. He rushes out of his room and on down the stairs to greet his beloved "pig-tailed goddess," all the while thanking the gods that he had regained enough sense in his love-racked frenzy to have remembered to have gotten dressed, as he was only in his boxers at the time, and to have met her in such wear would have most disgraceful, indeed. He smiles._

"O, joy!" he says to himself. "My beloved has come! Surely this is a sign from the gods! This is what I was praying for! O, utter rapture I am in! Now I know whom they intend for my wife!" He stops suddenly.

"But that means… that means that they do not intend the fair Akane…" He holds his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Hmm… what shall I do?"

He stays where he is and thinks to himself for a while. 

"How shall the lovely Akane fit in this…?"

A rare thing suddenly happened. Tatewaki actually had an idea. His eyes lit up and he grinned. He pulled out his _bokken and pointed it up into the air._

"EUREKA!! I HAVE IT!! I know what I shall do now! I shall continue to protect dear Akane from that evil sorcerer Saotome, but I will stop pursuing her! It will be challenging, but surely I can manage to summon the willpower to do it."

Tatewaki was obviously happy with his idea. He tried to contain his excitement, but almost failed. He was about to dance about the room, when suddenly he remembered something. Something very important.

"The pig-tailed girl! In my brilliance, I had nearly forgotten her!" And with that, he rushed on and out of the mansion, all the while shouting, "Worry not, my beloved! I am here, and will protect you!"

*~*~*

Ranma-chan had just gotten up, brushed the leaves and dirt off, and had re-wrapped her towel around her, and much tighter this time.

"Oh, man… do I feel lousy. I hope I'll go unnoticed when I try to go back to the Dojo. Hopefully, Akane calmed down a bit, too… no, wait, that'd be asking too much."

Suddenly, an unknown person tightly embraced Ranma-chan from behind.

"What the…?!" Ranma-chan cried, and looked up. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw Tatewaki. "ACK!! KUNOU!!"

"My darling pig-tailed girl! I am here, o goddess, and- !" Poor Tatewaki never got to finish his long-winded "devotion of my love" speech, because Ranma-chan promptly gave him a chop to the back of the neck to make him loosen his embrace, then proceeded to kick him in the chest to make him go flying as far away from her as possible. When she saw the he was somewhat lodged in the trunk of a tree, she was satisfied. With her arms akimbo, she walked over to where Tatewaki was stuck and slightly dazed. She smirked as she saw him struggle to get out.

"Maybe **that** will teach you not to sneak up on girls. Especially me. And Akane, I guess." She added as an afterthought.

"But goddess! You do not have to be jealous any longer of Akane, although you have good reason to be."

Ranma-chan glared at Tatewaki and spoke with a snarl and a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Oh really? And just what is **that** supposed to mean? And I advise you to choose your words carefully this time, Kunou."

"I… uh… I meant to say, O glorious and most beautiful goddess…" Tatewaki was broken off by another glare from Ranma-chan.

"Just get to the point, Kunou. I gotta get back home, and I don't have all day." said Ranma-chan. "And stop with the flowery 'Shakespearian' talk. It's getting annoying. Got it?"

Tatewaki nodded. Somehow, he had gotten himself out of the tree. He bowed formally and said, "I am sorry I have become so tiresome to you, my lady. It is only because your radiant beauty has taken over my mind, and I cannot keep control of myself. I can only hope that you can forgive me." Tatewaki bowed low again.

Ranma-chan sighed. _Honestly... she thinks. __How do I get myself in these messes? Now I'm actually starting to feel sorry for the guy._

_To be Continued…_


	2. Ryouga's Greeting

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½ or anything related to it (unfortunately); it belongs to Takahashi-sama. I **do, however, own Sabriel, so if you even THINK of using her character without my permission, I'll sic Ryouga-kun on you. So… yeah. *TRUMPET FANFARE* *takes out wireless microphone from nowhere* LET THE SHOW CONTINUE!!! ^_^ V**

A/N: Once again, as a reminder… _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting, **bold** for emphasis on speech.

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Two

Somewhere in Okinawa, Japan, Ryouga Hibiki is trudging along in the jungle. Once again, Ryouga's impeccably horrible sense of direction had gotten him lost. He growled.

"Saotome, I swear to you, when I get back to Nermia, I will CRUSH YOU!!" screamed Ryouga. He raised his fists and shook them in the air, as if Ranma was actually there. Unfortunately, as he did so, a rumble echoed through the dense jungle, followed by the gentle pitter-patter of rain. 

"Oh no, not again!" said Ryouga. He sighed as he quickly opened his incredibly heavy red parasol. "Why is it that everytime I'm out somewhere, it rains?!"

Keeping sure that he was completely out of range of the rain, Ryouga continued on his quest back to Nermia. Suddenly, Ryouga felt as if there was someone watching him. He could feel the back of his neck starting to prickle, so he stopped and looked around while keeping underneath his umbrella, but saw no one. Ryouga scoffed and shook his head a little.

"Hmph. I must be losing it after pursuing Ranma's destruction for so long… I think I'm starting to see things. Or getting paranoid, at least. Honestly, thinking that there would be someone out **here** watching me." He smirks and continues along his way. 

~*~*~

            A cloaked and mysterious figure adjusted her hood as she watched Ryouga walk away and smiled. _Little do you know, my dear Ryouga. Little do you know… she thinks with an evil smile as she gracefully and stealthily jumps from the tree branch she was standing on to the ground. Using the incredibly humongous trees and jungle-foliage as her cover, the cloaked figure follows Ryouga, subtly keeping him from going astray in the wrong direction. _

_            First, I have to get you back to Nermia, and then I shall reveal myself. Well, to a point, anyway…_she thinks as she creeps through the forest. _I'll be damned if I don't get **this** job done. Besides, Nodoka-sama would probably have my head if I failed. I swear, her and that damned katana of hers…_The figure shuddered as she continued on her way. _I don't even want to **think about that. Best to concentrate about the task at hand. For now, all I have to do is keep Ryouga on the right trail back to Nermia. Speaking of which, where ****is Ryouga? **_

            She looked around her, peering about the trees through the fog and rain. Suddenly, she heard a rustling of leaves. Immediately, she was in a fighting stance and her guard was up. Her eyes darted about looking for anything that moved, even in the slightest. Then she saw it. Something black… and strangely small. __

_            What the hell is that thing? _She thought as her muscles in her lean, agile body tensed up. Whatever it was, it was advancing. Quickly. _I'd better do something... but what? _

            She racked her mind for something, **anything.** Unexpectedly, all of her senses, her body, and her mind screamed at her as one with one simple, although derogatory message: _GET OUT OF THE WAY, STUPID!!  So, she jumped. Her cloak flew part way open, revealing her somewhat baggy steel blue capris, which ended about 2 to 3 inches below her knees, and were bound with a black ribbon just below her knees on both legs. She looked down, and saw a small, black and partly yellow blur race by underneath her. _

_            What the-? Waitaminute…_She arched a brow as she landed, her cloak swirling around her gently. _Was that who I thought that was? She started to run after the object, confused and yet intrigued. _Surely it couldn't be… but what if it **is**?_ She finally caught up with it, after jumping from tree to tree for a while, her cloak billowing behind her, and the rain slapping against her face. In fact, she even had gotten a few feet ahead of it. She hopped off the tree branch and dropped down, landing directly in front of the object of interest. With a squeal, it tried to turn tail and run the other way, but the girl's martial arts skills had given her speed as well as strength. Her hand was barely visible as she grabbed it by the yellow-and-black bandana around its neck and lifted it up into the air. It was rather difficult to hold it still, since it was squirming so much. She looked at it and smirked. _

            "Ah. So it **is** you. I had thought as much. Honestly, Ryouga, you are impossible." The small black pig's eyes widened as it stopped squirming. With a somewhat evil smile, the mysterious figure goes over to a near-by tree and hung P-chan onto a tree branch by his bandana. "Now then, don't you go anywhere! I'll be right back…" she said as she re-adjusted her hood. She walked off to get Ryouga's pack, and came back five minutes later. She checked the tree branch to see if he had escaped. But as much as he was struggling, poor P-chan couldn't wrench himself free.

            The girl smirked as she watched P-chan squirm and squeal in protest. She patted him gently on the head and scratched behind his ears. The little black pig stopped squealing and calmed down. The girl smiled down at him and said, "Don't worry. I'm not gonna eat you. I know who you are, but I'm not going to tell anyone. Not anyone who doesn't know already, anyway."

            She set the pack down effortlessly, (even though it was incredibly heavy) took out a kettle, and a canteen, and picked up some twigs and branches from around her. She used a simple fire spell after setting up a small campfire circle, took out a camping grill out of Ryouga's pack, and put it and the kettle (which she found out was already filled with water) over the fire.

            "There. That should be boiling in about 5 or so minutes." She said after casting a small shield spell over the area of the fire and leaning against the tree that P-chan was hung on. She looked over at him and saw that the little black pig's eyes were bulging open with surprise.

            "Bwee… " It said in a small little pig voice. The mysterious girl smirked under her hood and scoffed.

            "Feh. What? Surprised about my strength and the ability to carry your little pack over there?" She jerked her thumb at the backpack lying over by the fire. "Or are you amazed at my ability to use magic?"

            P-chan looked at her with an amazed but scared expression on his face. He looked at her face and tried to see what it looked like underneath the shadows. The girl noticed this, and in return, flicked P-chan in the nose gently and wagged a finger in his face.

            "No no, P-chan. No-one sees who I am until I reveal myself. But don't worry your adorable little head about that. You won't be in suspense for long."

            Poor P-chan blushed almost scarlet after he heard the compliment. The two waited in silence for the water to boil, each deep in their own thoughts. When the water started to boil, the mysterious girl disengaged her magic and took the kettle off the grill. 

Her mouth twitched slightly as she picked it up with her bare hands, but she reminded herself that she had felt pain much worse than this, and carried it over to where P-chan was stuck. She cast a slightly advanced spell on the tree to make it grow a sort of overhang, and proceeded to pour the now scalding hot water on P-chan, who instantly turned back into Ryouga.

            The sudden weight change took its toll on the branch he was previously hung on and it snapped, causing Ryouga to land with a soft THUMP! Ryouga was dazed only for a moment, but then he noticed some strange noises coming from the mysterious hooded girl who just changed him back to his original form. He looked up at her and noticed a slight tinge of pink under the shadows on her face.

_            Is she blushing? What for? And what are those noises coming from her?_ Ryouga wondered. Then he observed something else. It was very cold. Ryouga turned his head to look at the ground when he suddenly realized why he felt so cold.

            "HOLY HELL!!" he shouted and whipped around to the other side of the tree while trying desperately to cover himself. The girl finally burst out laughing and leaned against the tree to hold herself up, while poor Ryouga blushed furiously. Ryouga growled.

            "Why the hell didn't you say something?!"

            "I was trying not to!" she said between giggles. She smiled amusedly to herself and called to him, "Do you want me to get you some clothes?"

            Ryouga glared at her. With a smirk, she said slyly, "I'll just take that as a yes, hm?" Ryouga just growled in response. The girl cleared her throat, and with a small smile, went to his pack and looked through it. 

            After finding some rather odd things mixed around with normal camping supplies (firewood, waterproof matches, a can of Spam dip, a small machete), she found some clothes. Picking them up, she walked back over to the tree and leaned against it, handing the clothes over around the tree.

            "Here ya go, Ryouga. Will these do?" she said with a honeyed sly voice and a small smirk. Ryouga growled and his right eye twitched slightly in response. He grabbed them roughly, snatching them right out of her hand.

            "Give me those!! Are you insane?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

She just chuckled quietly and smiled. She sighed a bit and leaned with her back against the tree and gently closed her luminous midnight-blue, almost black eyes, listening to the rain and being thankful that she had created the overhang above her. She was sure that Ryouga was grateful as well, although he didn't say anything about it. She sighs. _Typical. She crossed her arms by lightly grasping her elbows, and rested one foot flat against the tree. Her mouth twitched vaguely as her annoyance started to grow._

            "Ryouga! Are you done yet?! It doesn't take **that** long to put on a shirt and pants! What the hell is taking you so damn long?!"

            Ryouga walked out casually, his hands in his pockets. 

_To be continued…_


	3. Bad Days And Near Kisses

~Lady Akitsu~ Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of the Sabriel Series!! Sorry it took me so long, but I got a bit stuck. Anyways, to all you people who bothered to review, thanks so much!! I really appreciate it… I reposted Chap.1-3, so go ahead and check that out if you want. Oh, and I need a beta reader and/or someone to bounce ideas off of. So if anyone feels up to it, please let me know. Oh, and anyone who can tell me where I put the Cowboy Bebop reference gets a cookie or some other sugar-infested treat!! ^_^ Arigato gozaimasu! Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma ½. If you want to use Sabriel, you ask first.

A/N: Once again, as a reminder… _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting or sounds, **bold** for emphasis in speech.

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Three

"Hmph. I've **been** done." Ryouga snorted as he looked at the mysterious girl. "I've… just been thinking. That's all." 

"Uh huh… I see. So, what were you thinking of?"

Ryouga cleared his throat and looked away into the jungle. "It's really none of your concern. Thank you for your help, but I must get going." Ryouga bent down, got his bag and heaved it over onto his back. As he turned to leave, she spoke.

"Was it about Ranma Saotome? Revenge, perhaps…?"

Ryouga froze. _What the-? It's not possible… How the hell could she have known? And how does she know about Saotome…_?_ Ryouga whirled around to face her with a look of slightly frightened astonishment on his face._

"Who **are you…?"**

The girl just smiled.

"Time will tell. Just wait until we get to Nermia. I will explain everything when we get there." She put her foot back onto the ground and stood up straight. She looked at Ryouga and gave him a small reassuring smile. 

"Shall we?" She motioned to the beaten dirt path. The rain drizzled downward; its trademark sound was the only thing that could be heard as the two watched the other, Ryouga with awe, the mysterious girl with a reserved quiet smile. As suddenly as it began, the rain started to lessen, diminishing slowly into a light sprinkling, then to almost nothing, only a few drops of water here and there from the tips of leaves.

Ryouga recovered from his shock and smiled faintly, shrugging.

"Why not?"

The hooded girl smiled and nodded. 

"Great. Let's get going."

Ryouga nodded back and turned his back to leave.

"Hey, Ryouga!!"

Ryouga stopped as he heard his name and turned his head to look over his shoulder with an adorable smile on his face. SMACK!! Poor Ryouga got hit square in the face with something. He spun around, fell over backwards and landed sitting. 

"Owww…. What'd you do **that for?!"**

He sat up and looked at what knocked him down. It was a red bamboo umbrella. **His red bamboo umbrella. He looked up at her angrily.**

"You **do know that I expect an explanation from you, right?"**

She just smiled and shrugged.

"I thought you might be needing it sooner or later."

A small bead of sweat formed on Ryouga's left temple as he just stared at her. She stared back and smirked.

"Feh… Didn't your mother ever tell you that it's rude to stare at people? C'mon, pig boy, let's get going."

*~*~*

Ranma had finally gotten changed back to boy-type and was walking on a fence, only he was walking faster than usual, almost jogging.

_Damn you, Akane… why the hell did you have to send me to the Kuno Estate, of all places?!_

Ranma frowned and tightened his grip on his towel, which was now wrapped around his waist. He shook his head and continued jogging. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out in the morning quiet.

"Ranma!! Why is _arien_ walking with only towel on? Is not healthy. Good wife know this."

Ranma stopped in his tracks, cringing.

_Aw, for cryin' out loud… Why did it have to be **her**?! Ugh… This just isn't my day…_

Ranma sighed and clapped a hand to his forehead. He looked up and glowered menacingly at the sky and whatever deities might be there.

_You must really despise me or something, don't you?_

Ranma turned his head to look over his shoulder, and sure enough, there she was. Luxuriously long purple hair done up in its usual style, a Mandarin-styled waitress' outfit that fitted her like a glove, leaving almost nothing to the imagination, and the pink delivery bicycle with a basket attached to the handle bars. Shampoo.

Ranma sighed and turned back around. He started to walk again, gradually getting faster until he was at the speed he was before. He wondered if he should go faster so he could lose Shampoo. He grinned at the thought and decided to go for it. The sound of his feet picked up pace and began to blur into one sound as he ran. And then he heard a bicycle bell ring jarringly. 

_Waitaminute… a bicycle bell? Ranma glanced to the side and nearly tripped in his surprise. Shampoo looked up at him and tilted her head in confusion. She watched as Ranma flailed wildly to regain his balance, failing miserably and ending up falling into the river below._

"WHOOAAAAA!!!" screamed Ranma-kun as he fell into the water.

"Oh, no! Ranma!!" 

Shampoo rushed over to look into the river and hopefully any sign of Ranma. She saw nothing for around a minute. Suddenly, bubbles started to form in the middle of the river, followed by a familiar busty red-headed girl who was gasping for breath.

Shampoo sighed with relief.

"Aiyah, Shampoo so worried! Shampoo glad Ranma safe." She chirped as she smiles down to Ranma-chan. Ranma-chan shot a reproachful glare back up to Shampoo. As she scooped up her towel and began to ring it out, Ranma-chan grumbled to herself under her breath.

"Why does this stuff always happen to me? I swear, if it's not Akane trying to kill me with that mallet of hers, it's Shampoo **almost killing me with those weird Chinese love drugs. And if it's not her, then it's Kodachi with **her** drugs. At least Ukyou doesn't try to kill me…"**

Ranma-chan wrapped the cloth around her body once again and jumped back out of the river. She landed on an empty exposed sewage pipe and walked up the hill, clutching at her towel with one hand and clenching her fist on her other hand. As she looked up with scowl and an angry stare in her eyes, Shampoo came running up to her.

"_Arien is okay, yes? Ranma…?" Shampoo watched bewilderedly as Ranma-chan angrily brushed by her._

"Not now, Shampoo."

"But, Ranma-" 

"I **said not now."**

Ranma-chan stormed off in the direction of the Tendo Dojo, her mind set on getting some proper clothes on so she could get this day over with as soon as possible.

*~*~*

Ryouga sighed as he plodded along the dirt road beside his new traveling companion. As he looked around, all he saw was a wide meadow and a wooden fence along the road. He turned his attention to the girl. As far as he could see, she seemed quite emotionless and apathetic at the moment.

_I wonder who she is…and how she knew so much about me… _Ryouga thought to himself. He looked at her again and noticed that she still had the blue hooded traveling cloak on from before.

"Don't you want to take that thing off? It's kinda hot out here."

She blinked as his voice broke her out of her thoughts and turned her head to look at him.

"Huh? I'm sorry, what was that?" To her amazement, he had started to laugh. She growled as she glared at him.

"Why, you…! What the hell are **you laughing at, ya moron?!"**

Ryouga couldn't help but chuckle a bit more at her reaction. He decided to stop since he could feel her glare boring into him, even though he couldn't see her eyes underneath the shadows of her hood. He smiled at her.

"Well?! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

"I'm sorry, but you looked so far off, like you were somewhere else. I thought that I should of brought you back." Ryouga chuckled briefly. "Although…"

She arched an eyebrow. "Although what? Spill it, Ryouga."

Ryouga smirked a bit. "Your reaction was pretty damn funny. I bet if I could of seen your face, it would have been **priceless**."

The girl just stared at him, her left eyebrow twitching slightly. 

"What… did you… just say…?!" Her voice was icy cold and had plenty of malice in it. Her hands became clenched at her sides and were bent up slightly at the wrist. She bared her teeth and glowered menacingly at him, her eyes flashing.

Ryouga laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He noticed that she had small fangs similar to his. If he was in any other position right now, he would think she looked cute. Unfortunately, he wasn't, and she looked like she was going to do a great deal of harm to him. Ryouga gulped and gave his best awkward grin.

"Um… I'm sorry…?"

KLONK!! Ryouga suddenly found himself flat on the ground with a large bruised bump on his head.

"Ow…" As he looked up at her, he saw that she had a wooden staff with two oddly shaped blades at one end in her hands. Ryouga got up and rubbed his bruise, raising an eyebrow and staring at her in the process. She smirked and turned her back to him, holding her swallow like a walking stick.

"Apology accepted. Now let's get going. And keep close to me this time. I don't need you getting lost again."

"Um… wait a minute, though..." Ryouga lifted his index finger as if to protest, but he was cut short. The girl whirled around, her cloak swishing softly.

"Yeah, what is it?" came the sharp reply.

"Um… How exactly did you… uh, that is… Where'd that weapon come from?"

"Hm?" The girl blinked and looked at him. "You mean this thing?" She asked and pointed at the staff. Ryouga nodded.

"Yeah. **That**."

"Oh. I've always had this with me. Didn't you notice?"

Ryouga sweatdropped and shook his head slowly.

"Um, no…"

A slight look of surprise came onto her face, but disappeared just as quickly.

"Oh yeah, that's right. I'd forgotten. Here, let me show you." She motioned for him to come closer. As Ryouga hesitantly scooted close to her, she pointed to a specific spot on her staff, just under one of the blades.

"See here? Watch." And with that, she pressed the area and quickly drew her hand away. Ryouga soon saw why, as the two blades suddenly started to twitch somewhat, then inverted into the staff soundlessly. Ryouga blinked.

"What the hell…? How did you do that?" He looked up at her and suddenly realized that their faces were rather close, although he still couldn't see the rest of her face on account of the shadows. She noticed this as well, and as a result, the two blushed slightly and scooted back a small step or two. The girl cleared her throat behind the back of her hand and took a deep breath to steady herself, not knowing that she had accidentally dropped her weapon.

_That was rather close… What the hell was I thinking?! Argh, baka ne! You're not supposed to fall in love with your assignment! …Waitaminute… Did I just say "fall in love?" Oh God, I did! Shimatta!! No, no, no! This isn't supposed to be happening!! Although, he **is rather handsome… Gah, stop that!**_

Unbeknownst to her, Ryouga was staring at her as she mentally berated herself and noticed how much more she was blushing than before.

_            Man, she's dealing with this worse than **I** usually do! God, I can't believe that I was that close to her… I could of kissed her…Oh, my God. Why did I just think that?! What about Akane?! Remember **her**, Ryouga?! She's only the girl you fell in love with for crying out loud!! I can't believe I just betrayed her… Well, kinda… Okay, maybe not, since she's Saotome's fiancée. But still, I **am** in love with her… I think… Great, now I'm doubting myself… I can't believe I almost kissed her… Argh, what the hell is wrong with me?!_

_To Be Continued…_

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Okay, well, that's it for now. Please, tell me what you think. I **live** on reviews!!


	4. Awkward Moments

~Lady Akitsu~ Alright, the first thing I'd like to say is… THANK YOU!! Well, to all the people who **bothered** to review my story, let alone read it. For the people out there wondering what took me so long to update, I had a problem with a mixture of writer's block (God, I hate those) and procrastination. So… yeah.

**PERSONAL THANK YOU'S**

**Kim Ai-chan**: Thanks for reviewing my fic, my loyal subject… Oops! I mean loyal reviewer. Heh heh…. *sweatdrop* I'm glad you stuck around. BUT YOU NEED TO UPDATE!!! I'm dying to see what's next.

**Brian, Dark Emotionless Shadow**: Appreciate the comment, sir. I will work hard to keep it "intriguing." *smirks* STAR WARS RULES! WHOO! ^_^ *laughs*

**SailorKagome**: Be in suspense no more, my dear. But please update your fic. It should be done by now, according to what you've told me before we were cut off. *sobs* I MISS YOU, TI-CHAN!! EMAIL ME, DAMN IT!! *ahem* ^^;;

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Anyways, time for the usual disclaimer.** I DO NOT OWN RANMA ½!! I never have, and I never will. In fact, I never said I did, so HA! *sticks out tongue at evil lawyer people* I do, however, own Sabriel. She is **my** creation, so hands off. Got it?! *whips out Akane-style mallet and growls* Also, here's my usual key. You know, the one you've been seeing through out the fic. Just bear with me, alright? Okay, then. _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting or sounds, **bold** for emphasis in speech. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. On with the damn fic. Enjoy.**

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Four

Ryouga and the mysterious girl glanced at each other. Ryouga gave yet another awkward grin and chuckled softly as result of his nervousness. The girl cracked a small smile and joined in. The sweet unison of their laughter grew louder until it seemed to be surrounding them, then died down. Ryouga set his gaze at his feet and rubbed the back of his head and the bruise he had gotten earlier.

"Um… yeah… right…" He trailed off as he slowly looked back up at her expectantly. He smiled to himself as he saw that she was still smiling at him, as far as he could tell. He also saw what he thought was a slight tinge of pink. He blinked.

_She's still blushing? It must of affected her more than I thought…_

"Heh… um… well, anyway…" As she cast her eyes downward, she caught a glimpse of her swallow, which was now turned into a staff.

"Oh! That's right, we were talking about this."

She bent down and grasped the staff, only to find that Ryouga as had done the same thing. She gasped quietly as she felt his hand on hers. Ryouga blushed and hastily withdrew his hand, staring only at the ground and apologizing in his usual nervous, jittery manner, complete with stuttering.

"I… I… um… heh… uh… I, uh…S-sorry about that… I, um…I-I didn't mean to… uh…*ahem*… I mean… um… Sorry…" Ryouga blushed even more and stared intensely at the ground, a small bead of sweat slowly sliding down his left temple.

_Oh, my God… I can't believe that I just did that…Why did I do that?! I'm such a baka! I try being a gentleman, and I end up embarrassing myself. Ugh…WHY?! Oh God, I hope she's not mad or offended or anything…_

He nervously glanced back up at her, only to see her giving a small, gentle smile to him. He could only blink in surprise as she actually giggled in a rather cute fashion.

"Hey, no problem. Don't worry about it." She drawled as she smirked at him and moved her hand as if she was shooing away the problem.

"Heh… Alright, then…" He smiled back as he stood back up straight, watching her rise up along side of him. She nodded reassuringly to him.

"You know, we should get going. I'll show you what else my weapon can do later."

Ryouga sighed and shrugged, giving her a fangy grin.

"Whatever you say. You sure this is the right way to Nermia?"

"Trust me, Ryouga. Just keep close to me, and we'll have no trouble with your… um, navigation problem. I suggest we get moving again." And with that, she started to walk. Ryouga raised an eyebrow as he stared after her. Then, it dawned on him.

"HEY!! WHAT WAS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?! WAIT UP!!" he yelled as he ran down the path after her.

*~*~*

Akane sighed as she kneeled down at the table and began to eat her breakfast of rice and _oden, wondering when Ranma would be coming back._

_He'd better not make me late. I hope he's okay…_

Nabiki noticed her sister's mood and arched an eyebrow.

_What's this? Is Akane actually worried about Ranma…?_ A small smirk came across Nabiki's face. _Well, she **should be worried about him. After all, she was the one who gave him a first-class trip courtesy of Akane Airlines. I wonder where he got sent to this time… Well, it doesn't really matter, I guess. Just more blackmail material for me. *sigh* I almost feel sorry for poor Ranma. No matter where he goes, bad luck seems to follow that boy everywhere. Plus, he makes it worse with that attitude of his. And, you can't forget who he has as a father.**_

Nabiki sighed quietly as she stares into her rice, and glanced quickly at Genma, who was sitting diagonally from her and was in panda-form. Nabiki narrowed her eyes slightly and glared at him, then quickly went back to her breakfast. As she ate, her mind went back to her sister.

_Akane's mood still hasn't changed yet. Maybe she really **is worried about Ranma. She's probably feeling guilty about sending him off like that, knowing her. Poor Akane. Why doesn't she just tell him that she likes him? I know for a fact that he likes her back, despite the way they treat each other. All that name-calling, the fights… Oh, why am I worried about all this? I better hurry up and get to school before those two. I want to be inside before Kunou gets to them.**_ And with that thought in mind, Nabiki gathered up her things from the table and stood up. As she did so, she noticed that she had caught Akane's eye and smiled down to her.

"Hey, don't worry about Ranma, Akane-chan. I'm sure he's fine."

Akane looked up at Nabiki with a surprised expression on her face.

"_Nani…?"_

"Oh, yes, I'm sure he's doing just fine, Akane." chimed in Kasumi, who had just walked into the room with another large bucket of rice. As she set it down onto the table,  she gave one of her serene trademark smiles, which made Akane almost instantly feel slightly better, and she couldn't help but to smile in return.

"_Arigatou, both of you guys."_

Just then, the front door swung open with a loud BAM! In came Ranma-chan, still soaking wet from falling in the river earlier.

"Ranma!" gasped Akane as she jumped up and ran over to the other girl. "Are you alright? …Why are you soaked?"

Ranma-chan sighed and took a deep breath.

"Look, Akane… Can we talk after I get dressed? I'll explain everything afterwards, but I really need to get some real clothes on. Okay?"

"Alright, fine. But you better explain **everything**."

Ranma nodded and walked past Akane and up the stairs to the guest room to change. 

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~ Lady Akitsu~ Sorry about the short chapter, but I promise you, there's more coming soon! ^_^ And remember… REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!! Please? ^^;; Luv yas! Ja ne! ^_^


	5. Depression

~ Lady Akitsu ~ Konichiwa, and welcome to yet another chapter of my story. Having fun so far? Anyways, things are going to start moving in this chapter, or at least I'm going to try!! ^_^;; *nervous laughter* *ahem* Um.. yeah…  Anyways, here's my thank you's, disclaimer, and key. Hey, it has to be in here, so don't complain. I'm just doing it as a favor to those who need/want it.

**PERSONAL THANK YOU'S**

**Hiraikotsu**** Slinger: Thanks a million, Rici-chan! Since you're the ****only person who reviewed my fic, even though it's been up for while… *cries* I'M A GOOD WRITER!! WHOOT! ^_^**

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**KEY:** *sighs* Dude, if you've been reading the fic up to this point, you should know this by now. But, I'm doing this for those of you who are either just tuning in (which I doubt) or are just kinda… um, slow. Yeah, that's it. ^^;; Anyways, here ya go: _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting or sounds, **bold** for emphasis in speech. Happy now? *Glares at Michelle Branch* Don't **even** start.

MB: *pouts* Dude, you're mean.

LA: *smirks* I know this. What's your point, if you have one?

MB: *blows raspberry*

LA: *sweatdrop* Um… okay… Yeah, whatever. Same to you, sugar.

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ranma ½ or anything even nearly related…except for Sabriel. SHE IS MINE SO HANDS OFF!! _**

*readers groan* Hey, hey, quiet over there! It has to be done, alright? I don't really feel like getting sued, since I'd probably end up with my house getting repossessed or something. And then you wouldn't be able to read my fic, now would you?

Random reader: Yeah, like **that would be such a tragedy! *annoying laughter***

LA: *arches a brow* *growls and whips out mallet Akane-style* WHAT WAS THAT, BRAT?!

RR: O_O Ack! *runs away and hides*

LA: Hmph. Jackass. *puts away mallet*

RR: *from hiding place* YOU SUCK!!

LA: *growls*

RR: Eep! *shuts up and cowers*

LA: Feh. *smirks* ON WITH THE SHOW! ^_^ *to herself* Heh, being evil is fun…

Kouga: *pops up out of no-where* Um… Ami-chan, why are you talking to yourself?

LA: O_O;; GAH! WHERE THE HELL DID YOU COME FROM?! YOU JERK, DON'T GO SCARING ME LIKE THAT!! *glares menacingly, armed with mallet*

K: Yikes, sorry! *holds up hands in defense* But if you didn't want that to happen, you really shouldn't be talking to yourself in public.

LA: *twitch, twitch* I wasn't talking to myself, ya damn jackass! Besides, how **dare you be so familiar with me!! IT'S LADY AKITSU OR YOUR LADYSHIP TO YOU! Hmph. *turns on her heal and crosses her arms***

K: *sweatdrop*

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The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Five

            Ranma-chan sighed as he took out some clothes to put on and gently closed the door of the guest room. She leaned back and sat down cross-legged on her futon, heaving another great sigh.

"Man, what am I gonna do? I gotta explain this to Akane… but how? What am I gonna say?"

Ranma-chan frowned and propped her chin on her fist, contemplating her situation. 

"Well, I guess I hafta tell her about Shampoo… and that'll probably explain that I fell into the river… again… But why does it feel like she's gonna practically **kill me when I tell her? Argh. _Baka_ Akane and her damn mallet."**

Ranma-chan closed her eyes and groaned.

"This just isn't fair. I swear, I'm cursed or something. Feh. Obviously. _Baka Jusenkyo curse. Well, at least I can still fight in my cursed form, unlike the rest of the cursed people I know."_

Ranma-chan's eyes opened widely in shocked realization as she gasped suddenly and stood up with a start.

"Omigod! I almost forgot, I have to change back to a guy in order to go to school! Damn it, how could I forget so easily?!"

And with that thought in mind, Ranma-chan quickly ran to the door, jerking it open and just about ripping it off its hinges in his haste. SPLASH!! Ranma was met with a face full of boiling hot water, instantly changing him to his original form.

"GYAAAAAAH!!! HOT! HOT! HOT!" screamed poor Ranma-kun as he furiously  rubbed the water out of his eyes. He glared up at his attacker, who turned out to be Akane.

"Damn it, Akane! What the hell was that for?!"

"Hurry up, already. You're going to get me late again."

Akane scowled and held the now half-empty kettle over her shoulder. She sighed and shook her head disapprovingly. 

"Honestly, Ranma. When will you ever learn? Now go get dressed for Pete's sake. We have school to go to."

~*~*~

Meanwhile, Ryouga and his mysterious female companion find themselves nearing an ominous-looking range of mountains. The hooded girl looked up at what as ahead of them and sighed.

"Honestly, Ryouga… You are the only one I know of who could ever get themselves lost in America on foot."

Ryouga narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Hey, I'm not **that** bad."

The girl shot him a quizzical look with an arched eybrow.

"Excuse me? Not that bad? Ryouga, I found you in Okinawa, Japan. And then you got lost… and then I found you again in **Kansas. In ****America. Which is an entire ****ocean away from Japan."**

Ryouga growled and crossed his arms. The girl couldn't help but smile at his reaction. She reached out and gently touched his shoulder. Ryouga blinked and looked at her, genuinely surprised.

"Oh, don't take it personally, Ryouga. You have plenty of positive personality traits to counterbalance your lack of direction."

Ryouga sighed and stared at the ground.

"It's just…"

Now it was the girl's turn to blink in surprise.

"It's just what, Ryouga?"

He heaved another deep sigh and continued walking.

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Let's just get back to Nermia and get this trip over with."

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Okay, everyone. I just wanted you guys to know that I'm doing short chapters from now on. Otherwise, it'll take me **forever to update this damn thing. So… yeah. PLEASE REVIEW!! **

Push the button… Come on, you know you want to… It'll make me happy… *chibi eyes* Pwease?


	6. Apologies From The Authoress

Konichiwa, minna-san! Lady Akitsu here. This is just a simple author's note. I'm sorry to say that I probably won't be updating for a while (again). Unfortunately, I've got writer's block, plus I've been a bit busy with depression, art, just starting college, and just now finding out that I'm in love. Sorry to disappoint you. But I will try to write some more when I have the time. Meanwhile, wish me luck! Until next time... Ja.  
  
~Lady Akitsu 


	7. Mountains And Mischief

~Lady Akitsu~ Well, well, well. Welcome back. As you can see, I've started up again. Since no one's been reviewing anymore, I've been thinking about pulling the plug on this fic. But then I thought, _Aw hell, who do I think I'm kidding?! I'll continue with this fic, even if no one ever reviews for it again. So, I will. The point of this fic is not to get reviews, but to share this story with the public. And so, I continue. Oh, and by the way, sorry about not updating for so long. ^^;;_

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Ranma ½ or any of its characters; it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi-sama. I do, however, own Sabriel. And several mangas… and a Computer… and a bed. But that's it. T_T

**KEY:** _Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting or sounds, **bold** for emphasis in speech. YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS ALREADY!! SHAME ON YOU!!

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Six

Night was fast approaching, and as Ryouga knew, it was usually bitterly cold in the mountain range that he and his mysterious traveling companion were in. He glanced at her and noticed that she was already starting to shiver.

"Hey, are you alright?"

She jumped and nearly tripped as she turned to stare at him. She seemed to be startled by his sudden question.

"N…_Nani…?" She blinked and quickly realized what he had just asked her. "Oh…! Um, yeah."_

"Are you sure?" He asked as he stopped and turned around.

"_Hai, I'm fine, really. No need to worry about me."_

She unsteadily walked past him, leaning on her staff with both hands. Ryouga sighed quietly as he followed her, watching her to make sure she really was as alright as she said she was.

They walked in silence for a while, not knowing how much time had passed since they first stepped foot on the mountain. It was getting darker, and with the night also came the biting sting of the artic-like weather.

The stranger looked up at the darkened night sky and sighed, a small smile playing across her lips.

"You know, it really **is beautiful up here," she said, breaking the silence. "The air is so clear, and the stars… They seem to be almost magnified… They're so much brighter and sharper than down on sea level…"**

Ryouga smiled as well and stopped beside her.

"Yeah… It's nice up here. Away from all of the pollution and dirt from the urbanized areas… "

"Mm-hm…" She sighed dreamily, blissfully unaware of anything except for where she was. Suddenly, her eyes widened with horror as she realized what was happening.

_Oh God, I'm doing it again! Snap out of it, onna! I can't fall for him! I can't… I mean, I'm certainly capable of doing so, but it's against my policy! You're not supposed to have any sort of feelings for your clients!! Shimatta, what do I do?!_

The girl quickly cleared her throat, catching his attention in the progress.

"You know, we should get going again, ne? It's getting cold fast, and we've yet to find any shelter."

Ryouga nodded. "Again, I agree. These mountains are dangerous at night. And I don't mean because of wild animals. But I'm sure we could handle ourselves in that department, right?" He gave her a sidelong glance as he said his last comment. She blushed slightly and quickly looked in the opposite direction. Ryouga grinned inwardly at her reaction and looked off into the horizon, taking in the breath-taking view of the mountains in the dim nighttime light, the snow-topped peaks before him twinkling in the distance. Ryouga couldn't help but sigh in the serene quiet that surrounded them.

~*~*~

Ranma-kun sighed as he and Akane went along their usual way to school. An uneasy silence had settled onto the two teenagers ever since they had left the dojo, the only sounds being heard were the soft clicking of Akane's heels on the pavement, and a rustle of clothing every now and then.

Akane's eyes narrowed and a scowl formed on her face as an angry thought crossed her mind. _Alright, that does it. I can't take this anymore!_

"Ranma, tell me."

"Tell you what?" asked Ranma dully as he continued along the fence he was walking on, his hands in his pockets. A low growl issued forth from Akane as she swung her schoolbag at him, only to find that she had narrowly missed his now raised leg.

"What the hell is wrong **now, tomboy?"**

Akane glared at him, baring her teeth. "You said you'd tell me on our way to school! So tell me!"

"Tell you **what?!"**

"_RANMA NO BAKA!!"_

POW! Akane's fist suddenly found its way to Ranma's jaw and smashed into it, sending Ranma sailing into the air and into a near-by alley, colliding into the brick building behind it in the process. Miraculously, Ranma managed to stumble to his feet and dragged himself out of the alley, his hand rubbing his cheek. He growled.

"What's your problem, Akane?"

"You said you'd tell me." She stated as calmly as possible. Ranma raised an eyebrow. Akane glared daggers at him in response.

"Akane, what the hell are you talking about? What was I say that I was supposed to tell you?"

Akane sighed and slung her bag over her shoulder.

"You know what? Forget it." She said, walking away.

"Eh?" Ranma blinked. _Did she just say what I thought she did? He turned and stared after her._

"Besides," Akane stopped and looked at him over her shoulder, "You're obviously too stupid to remember, anyway." With that, she walked off.

Ranma scowled. _Figures she'd say something like that… he thought as he started running after her._

"Oh yeah?! Well, I'll at least I'm not a tomboy!" he retorted.

Akane smirked. "You are when you're in your girl-form."

"_Kawaiikune!"_

"_Baka ne!"_

THWACK!

"_Itaii! I'm gonna take that thing and rip it up if you keep doing that."_

"Doing what?" said Akane innocently. "This?" She swatted him again with her school bag.

"Stop that!" Ranma glared at her and jumped out of reach. Akane scoffed.

"Or what, Ranma? Are you gonna pour water on me?"

"You mean like this?" asked Ranma mischievously as he pulled a full hot-water kettle from seemingly nowhere and emptied the contents onto Akane's head, causing her to jump, screeching at the top of her lungs.

"_RANMA NO BAKA_!! _OMAE O KUROSO!!"_

Ranma grinned and dashed off in the direction of Furinkan High, laughing like a maniac and a furious (and now very wet) Akane hot on his heels.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU JERK!!"

"Let's see if you can catch me first, tomboy!"

Ranma smirked confidently and continued running. _Well, at least I got her off the subject… Like I'm gonna tell her that I ran into Shampoo this morning. HA! If it involved Shampoo, I **know** Akane will try to kill me. I hope the rest of the day goes this well…_

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Alright, that's all for now. I hope the wait was worth it. ^^;; 


	8. Turning Tables For Ranma

~ Lady Akitsu ~ Konichiwa, minna-san! I know it's been awhile, and so I bring you another chapter along with my sincerest apologies. *bows* Gomen nasai! ^_^; I hope you all can forgive me. Anyways… On with the story! ^^;;

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Ranma ½ nor any of its characters. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi-sama. I **do**, however, own Sabriel. So, ask first if you want to use her character.

**KEY: **_Italics_ for thoughts, foreign words, or book titles, ALL CAPS for shouting or sounds, and **bold** for emphasis in speech.

The Sabriel Series, Part I: Enter Sabriel 

Chapter Seven

            As Ranma rushed headlong through the usual morning crowds of schoolchildren gathered in the front courtyards of Furinkan High, he lead behind him an enraged Akane. The skirts of her school uniform billowed out behind her as she ran, revealing a pair of strong and shapely legs, which were slightly blurred from normal sight at the moment due to the high speeds they were moving. However, once again, Akane's speed was of little merit compared to Ranma's.

_Ranma, you jerk… How will I ever measure up to you…_ thought Akane as she narrowed her eyes at his quickly retreating back. Her steady breathing pattern was rapidly dwindling into a frenzied panting. Akane could hear her heart's frantic pounding tattoo in her ears, and it felt to her as if it would soon leap out of her chest at any moment.

_This is going nowhere fast, and that idiotic fiancé of mine is getting farther and farther away, no matter how fast I try to go…At this rate, I'll never catch up to him!_ Akane realized. _There must be something I can do…_Her eyes glanced around her, taking in scene, when they finally settled on her black briefcase-like bag, gripped tightly by her right hand.

_Waitaminute… That's it!! _she thought with a smirk._ If I can't get to him, maybe this thing will… It's worth a shot. _Akane suddenly stopped running and slid to a stop, swinging her bag behind her and twisting her waist as she did so.

"HEY, RANMA!!" she called out to him and swung her arm forward, letting the bag fly. Ranma jumped and turned his head to look over his shoulder, his expression puzzled.

_What the…? What's that tomboy plannin' on doin' **this** time?_ Without warning, Ranma's vision was quickly filled by a rapidly spinning black mass heading straight for him. 

"Oh, sh-!" was all he could manage before the bag collided with his skull with a loud WHAP! He stumbled back, forced off his balance. Unfortunately for Ranma, the noise gathered the attention of everyone in the area, which included Kuno, who had just arrived. Akane smirked, satisfied, as she walked up to where Ranma stood with a dazed look on his face and a large red bump on his forehead.

"Catch."

*~*~*

Ryouga frowned. It had been at least an hour since they first started down the mountain range, and they weren't even close to a third of the way down. As he looked about him in the palest of twilight surrounding him and his ever mysterious traveling companion, he shivered and vainly tried to warm himself up by rubbing his arms as he trudged on ahead in cold, wintry atmosphere. Ryouga sighed and shook his head.

_If this trip keeps going at the rate it's at right now, we'll be dead before we ever make it to the bottom of this damned summit _Ryouga thought despairingly. He knew that they must find shelter to at least last the night, and soon. Ryouga shuddered at the very thought of the consequences if they didn't. Frostbite and amputation were definitely not options, especially for martial artists.

Ryouga quirked an eyebrow at that thought. _Why would I say that in plural? I mean, how exactly could I tell that this hooded woman was a martial artist?_ He looked ahead for her and watched her, analyzing how she walked from behind.

_She definitely has the movements of a natural martial artist. Gods, she certainly is graceful, isn't she?_ _And for a cloak, it really is rather form-fitting on her… and what a fine figure it is, too._ A slow grin crept up onto his face as he thought this, along with a hint of a blush on his cheeks. Well, that was shortly before he realized what he was just thinking and quickly reigned in his wandering (not to mention slightly lecherous) thoughts before they went any further.

_My god, what the hell am I thinking?!_ Ryouga mentally shouted at himself with a horrified expression on his face, his eyes dilated and opened widely in shock. His face had flushed to a shade of crimson only comparable to Ranma-chan's hair, and despite the frosty weather, Ryouga began sweating as if he were in a sauna.

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~ Lady Akitsu ~ Sorry about such a short chapter! I know; it's a cop out. It's just that I have so many ideas bouncing around in my head that I can't put them to words! Argh! _Baka_ writer's block!! *smacks self* _ Anyways, I hope you liked what I have so far, and please be sure to stay tuned; there's plenty more wackiness and soap opera-ness to come! ^^; And as always: reviews, comments, and questions are always encouraged and greatly appreciated! ^^;


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